From 1 October 2026, Special 95 costs AED 4.28 a litre across the UAE. That is the highest price of the year. The UAE Fuel Price Committee announced it on 30 September. Prices are the same in all seven emirates and have been reset monthly since August 2015.
The short version
- October prices: Super 98 AED 4.40, Special 95 AED 4.28, E-Plus 91 AED 4.21, diesel AED 4.80.
- Special 95 is up 16% on September and 84% on February's low.
- A 60 litre tank of Special 95 costs AED 256.80 in October. In February it cost AED 139.80. That is AED 117 more per fill.
- The price is set by a monthly formula tied to global markets, so it can fall again. It fell 14% in July.
- If you commute by car, where you live now has a clearer monthly cost attached to it.
UAE petrol prices October 2026, grade by grade
Every grade went up by about the same amount in October: AED 0.59 to 0.60 a litre for petrol, AED 0.50 for diesel.
- Super 98: AED 3.80 in September, AED 4.40 in October.
- Special 95: AED 3.69 in September, AED 4.28 in October.
- E-Plus 91: AED 3.61 in September, AED 4.21 in October.
- Diesel: AED 4.30 in September, AED 4.80 in October.
The 16% rise in Special 95 is the second largest monthly increase of 2026, after April.
Dubai fuel price 2026: how the year unfolded
The year started with cuts. Special 95 fell to AED 2.42 in January and AED 2.33 in February, the low of the year. Super 98 bottomed at AED 2.45 the same month.
Then the regional conflict that began on 28 February disrupted oil markets. Prices rose from March. April brought the largest monthly increase of the year: Special 95 up 32.3%, Super 98 up just over 30%. Diesel rose more than 70% in that single month. A drone strike was reported to have halted the Ruwais refinery as part of the April supply disruption.
Prices kept climbing for four months in a row. June was the peak before October, with Super 98 at AED 3.95.
July broke the run. Super 98 fell about 14% and diesel about 17%, the sharpest drop of the year.
August and September each added about AED 0.20 a litre. October then added AED 0.59, taking every grade to its 2026 high.
Special 95 price UAE: the monthly change table
| Month | Super 98 | Special 95 | E-Plus 91 | Special 95 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.53 | 2.42 | 2.34 | down 6.2% |
| February | 2.45 | 2.33 | 2.26 | down 3.7% |
| March | 2.59 | 2.48 | 2.40 | up 6.4% |
| April | 3.39 | 3.28 | 3.20 | up 32.3% |
| May | 3.66 | 3.55 | 3.48 | up 8.2% |
| June | 3.95 | 3.83 | 3.76 | up 7.9% |
| July | 3.40 | 3.29 | 3.21 | down 14.1% |
| August | 3.60 | 3.49 | 3.41 | up 6.1% |
| September | 3.80 | 3.69 | 3.61 | up 5.7% |
| October | 4.40 | 4.28 | 4.21 | up 16.0% |
Prices are AED per litre. January's change is against December 2025, when Special 95 was AED 2.58.
What drives the UAE fuel price
The price is not a policy decision made from scratch each month. It follows a formula tied to global fuel markets, and the committee publishes the result on the last day of the month for the month ahead.
That is why 2026 looks the way it does. The conflict that began in February pushed global prices up and UAE pump prices followed from March. When markets eased in July, the pump price fell with them.
September explains October. Brent crude was heading for a gain of about 13% over the month, as Reuters reported, even as oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz recovered toward pre-conflict levels late in September. A higher oil price in September became a higher pump price in October.
The same formula works in both directions. July showed that a 14% fall is possible within a month. I would not plan a budget on October's price staying fixed, in either direction.
What it means for your monthly budget
The per litre change looks small. The monthly total does not.
A 60 litre tank of Special 95 costs AED 117 more than it did in February. A household filling up four times a month is spending about AED 468 more each month than in February. That is my example, not a statistic; your own figure depends on your car and your distance.
Diesel users feel it more. Diesel is AED 4.80 a litre, up from AED 2.52 in February.
The useful question is not whether prices will fall next month. It is how exposed your monthly budget is to a cost that moved between AED 2.33 and AED 4.28 in eight months.
Where you live now matters more
For most residents the largest fuel cost is the daily commute. That cost is set by one decision: the distance between home and work.
A home near a metro station, or close to your office, lowers a monthly cost that just went up. When fuel was cheap and stable, a longer commute was an easy trade for more space or a lower rent. With the price moving as much as it did this year, that trade deserves a second calculation.
This is not a reason to move. It is a line worth adding to the numbers when you compare two homes: the rent or price, the service charge, and what it costs to get to work from each one. For an investor, homes with good metro access have one more point in their favour when tenants start doing the same sum.
About me
I am Houman Jalouti, a civil engineering graduate with an MBA in marketing and finance. What I do is work out whether a specific property suits you, including the running costs that come with its location. If you are weighing two areas or two homes, get in touch on whichever channel suits you: WhatsApp, phone, email or the contact form. The first review costs you nothing.
Sources
- Fuel prices: UAE Fuel Price Committee, as reported by Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Emirates 24|7, Time Out Dubai and WAM on 30 September 2026. Monthly history cross-checked with fueldelivery.ae and OneClickDrive.
#UAEPetrolPrices #DubaiFuelPrice #Special95 #UAE #DubaiLiving #DubaiRealEstate #HoumanJalouti
Frequently asked questions
From 1 October 2026: Super 98 AED 4.40 a litre, Special 95 AED 4.28, E-Plus 91 AED 4.21 and diesel AED 4.80. The UAE Fuel Price Committee announced them on 30 September 2026. They are the highest petrol prices of 2026.
Petrol rose AED 0.59 to 0.60 a litre across all grades and diesel AED 0.50. Special 95 went from AED 3.69 to AED 4.28, a 16% increase, the second largest monthly rise of 2026 after April's 32.3%.
A 60 litre tank of Special 95 costs AED 256.80 in October 2026, against AED 139.80 in February. That is AED 117 more per fill. Four fills a month would cost about AED 468 more than in February.
Yes. The UAE Fuel Price Committee sets one retail price for all seven emirates. It announces the next month's prices on the last day of each month, and they apply from the 1st. The monthly system has been in place since August 2015.
The price follows a monthly formula tied to global fuel markets. The regional conflict that began on 28 February 2026 disrupted oil markets, so UAE prices rose from March and jumped in April. In September, Brent crude was heading for a gain of about 13%, as Reuters reported, which fed into October's price.
February. Special 95 was AED 2.33 a litre and Super 98 AED 2.45. From February's low to October, Special 95 is up 84%.
Yes. January fell 6.2% and February 3.7%. July had the sharpest drop of the year: Super 98 about 14% lower and diesel about 17% lower, after four monthly increases.
Diesel is AED 4.80 a litre from 1 October 2026, up AED 0.50 from AED 4.30 in September. In February it was AED 2.52.
It adds a line to the comparison. With Special 95 moving between AED 2.33 and AED 4.28 in eight months, a long car commute is a less predictable monthly cost. A home near a metro station or near work reduces that exposure. It is one factor next to rent or price and service charge, not a reason to move on its own.
Special 95 was AED 2.42 a litre in January and is AED 4.28 in October, an increase of 77%. From February's low of AED 2.33 the increase is 84%.